Gas meter

Abstract

A gas meter includes a meter entrance that allows a fluid to flow in, a meter exit that allows the fluid to flow out, and a flow rate measurer that measures a flow rate of the fluid. In addition, the flow rate measurer includes a plurality of flow rate measuring units having the same shape and composed of a flow passage portion with a rectangular cross section shape on the outer side and a sensor portion disposed on one face of the flow passage portion. The plurality of flow rate measuring units are integrally configured by bonding faces having no sensor portion so as to serve as bonding faces of the flow rate measuring units.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A gas meter comprising:
 a meter entrance configured to allow a fluid to flow in to the gas meter; 
 a meter exit that allows the fluid to flow out from the gas meter; 
 a flow rate measurer configured to measure a flow rate of the fluid through the gas meter; and 
 a connecting member connecting the meter exit and the flow rate measurer, an outlet end of the flow rate measurer being inserted into the connecting member so that the flow rate measurer is held by the connecting member, 
 wherein the flow rate measurer includes a plurality of flow rate measuring units of a same shape, each of the flow rate measuring units comprising a flow passage portion having a rectangular cross sectional shape with four longitudinal faces, and a sensor portion disposed on one of the longitudinal faces of the flow passage portion, 
 wherein the longitudinal faces of the flow passage portion of each of the flow rate measuring units include a bonding face having no sensor portion thereon, all of the plurality of flow rate measuring units being arranged such that bonding faces of the flow rate measuring units are integrally bonded together, 
 wherein each of the flow rate measuring units has a groove on an entire periphery of the flow rate measuring unit, the groove including a first groove portion formed on the bonding face being bonded together and a second groove portion formed on faces other than the bonding face, and 
 wherein a first seal member is arranged in the first groove portion to form a seal between adjoining pairs of flow rate measuring units, and a second seal member is arranged in the second groove portion to form a seal between the flow rate measurer and the connecting member holding the flow rate measurer. 
 
     
     
       2. The gas meter of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flow rate measuring units has a rectangular cross-sectional face, a ratio of a length of a short side of the rectangular cross-sectional face of each of the flow rate measuring units and a length of a long side of the rectangular cross-sectional face is 1:2, and the flow rate measuring units are bonded such that the flow rate measurer has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       3. The gas meter of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flow rate measuring units includes an engaging portion on the bonding face, the engaging portion being configured to allow the bonding faces of the adjoining flow rate measuring units to be engaged with each other. 
     
     
       4. The gas meter of  claim 3 , wherein the flow rate measuring units each further include an engaged portion for receiving the engaging portion of an adjoining one of the flow rate measuring units, the engaging portion being a protrusion and the engaged portion being a recess. 
     
     
       5. The gas meter of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting member has a mounting portion at the outlet end of the flow rate measurer, the outlet end of the flow rate measurer being inserted into and held within the mounting portion of the connecting member such that the second seal member forms a seal between an inner surface of the mounting portion and an outer periphery of the flow passage portion of each of the flow rate measuring units. 
     
     
       6. The gas meter of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flow rate measuring units are arranged to adjoin each other such that bonding faces of each adjoining pair of flow rate measuring units are directly bonded together.